Automatic railroad signal and stop



G. RIDLEY.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SIGNAL AND STOP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-8. i921.

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

EEE E HIU IEY attorney? G. RIDLEY.. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SIGNAL AND STOP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-B, l92l- "1 4,g ,4g[ Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gwwmfoz En qge FIIUIEY 61cm "up FATE;

anon-en ninnnv, or HIGHLAND PARK, MICHIGAN.

*A'UTOMATIC RAILROAD SIGNAL AND STOP.

Appfication filed August 8, 1921. Serial No. 490,654

To all whom itmmj concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE BIDLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad Signals and Stops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad appliances of the safety type, and the primary object of the invention is to provide an irnproved device for automatically setting the brakes of a train, and for giving a warning to the engineer of the train, when the train, through any cause whatsover goes past a danger or stop semaphore signal,

Another object of the invention is the-provision of a novel means for operating an air release valve in the air train pipe line, said means being of simple and strong construc tion, easy applicable to a locomotive, and positive and'durable in use.

A further object of the invention'is theprovision of a novel means located in the englneers cab of the locomotlve for returning the valve of the air traln pipe line to lts normal position after operation, so that the valve can be closed, at the will of the engi' neer.

With these and other objects in view, the inventlon consists in the novel construction,

arrangement and formation of parts, as will line 33 of Figure 1, showing the relation. of the track-stop member withthe usualsemaphore signal.

Figure dis a side elevation of the" track stop or trip.

Figure 5 1s afront elevation of the same.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary-side elevation of the improved operating device carried by the locomotive for opening theair train pipe, illustrating the means of guldlng the operatmg lever 1n lts swinging movement.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section through the same, taken on the line 77 of Figure 8. p i

.60 the improved mechanism taken on the line I Figure 8' is a transverse section through 88 of Figure 6, and I h Figure 9 is an enlarged detail sideelevation of the means for permitting the valve of the air train pipeto'be closed, by the engineer of the train. 1 Referring to the drawings in detail, where-- oer-ma.

in similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several vlews, the letter A indicates the improved automatic safety device, and B, a locomotive s with which it. is associated.

The-locomotive B is of the ordinary or any approved type, and includes the usual boiler 10, the e'ngineers cab 11, andthe or' dinary air train brakepipe 12. The brake pipe 12 is provided with a suitable valve 13,

in order to permit the ready bleeding of the train pipe, in order t0 set the brakes. The valve 18 is provided with an operating lever or handle 14, as clearly shown in Figures 1:

and 2 of the drawings. The train line pipe 12 is provided with a branch pipe 15, which extends to the engineers cab 11, andthe terminal of this pipe is provided with a signal whistle 16. This branch pipe is so arranged in relation to the air train pipe 12 and the valve 13, that when the valve 13 is actuated so as to permit the escape of air, the airwill flow through the branch pipe 15 and thus emit a warning signal in the engineers'cab,

in order to permit the callingofthe' attention of the engineerto the fact that the stop has been actuated, and that thetrain has justpassed a danger or'stop signal. a

The improved device A includes a novel train carried mechanism C and a track trip mechanism D. The train carried mechanism C includes a guide 20, which oan'besecured to theflframe of a locomotive in any preferred manner and at "any preferred point. -The guide 20 includes a pair of spacedplates 21, which are connected together and to the locomotive, by suitable '1 bolts 22. The plates 21 m provided with guide slots .23, which are of arouate formation; An operating lever 2 is arranged be tween the guide plates 21, and is secured at use" .i

its upper end by suitable pivot pin 25 to the locomotive. The lower end of the lever can be provided with a guide roller 26, which is adapted to engage the track trip or stop D as will be hereinafter more fully described. The operating lever 24 is in the nature of a pendant and is free to swing back and forth, in order to operate the valve 13, when the roller 26 hits the track trip or! stop D. The lever 24 is offset interi'nediate its ends, as at 27, in order to position the roller intermediate the rails F. Guide pins 28 are carried by the opposite sides of the lever 24, and these guide pins slidably eX- tend through the guide slots 23, formed in the guide plates 21. The opposite faces of the operating lever 24 also carries stop blocks 30, for a purpose which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The guides 20 also slid-ably support an opcrating rod 31. The opposite ends of this red are provided respectively with an upper and lower head 32 and 33. The head 33 is arranged in the path of the operating lever 24, while the upper head 32 is disposed in the path of the operating handle 14 of the valve 13. It thus can be seen that when the lever 24 is forcibly swung rearwardly, that the operating rod 31 will also be slid rearwardly, and that the head 32 will come into forcible contact with the handle 14 of the valve, and thus open the valve and permit the bleeding of the train pipe and the operation of the signal whistle 16. The operating rod 31 has coiled around the same an expansion spring 34 which acts against a washer 35 carried by the rod, and normally tends to h old the rod in its normal position away from the operating handle 14 of the valve 18 and toward the actuating or operating lever 24.

In order to permit the returning of the valve 13 to its normal position by the engineer of the locomotive,'when the valve has been opened by the mechanism just described, a novel device G is provided. This device G includes a manually operated lever 40, which is pivotally secured atits lower end, as at 41, to a bracket 42, which is positioned in the cab 11 at a convenient point. This lever 40 is held in an inoperative rearward position by means of a contractile coil spring 44, which has its terminals connected respectively to the lever 40 and tothe bracket 42.

.This bracket 42 has mounted thereon a guide ,eye 45, which is in alignment with other guide eyes 46 carried at suitable points on the locomotive B. These guide eyes 45 and 46 slidably support an actuating bar 47. This bar 47 is disposed in the path of the handle 14 of the valve 13, and is arranged on the opposite side thereof from the operating rod 31. The rear upper end of the operating bar 47 is provided with a head 49, which is disposed in the path of the lever 40. The lever 40 is provided with a wear shoe 50, which is adapted to engage the head 49, when the lever 40 is actuated by the engineer of the locomotive.

The track trip or stop I) is preferably arranged intermediate the railroad rails F and as shown, consists of a pivoted arm 55. This arm 55 is secured at its lower end, by means of a pivot pin 56, to a bracket 5?, which can'be secured in any preferred man ner to the bed of the tracks. If desirable, the upper end of the bracket 57, can be pro vided with a stop lug 58, in order to prevent the swinging of the stop or trip arm 55 in one direction. The trip arm 55 may have connected therewith a. crank arm 58, to which may be secured a suitable connecting cable or rod 59 which can be connected in any preferred manner to the semaphore signal, designated by the letter H. This semaphore signal is of the usual or any preferred construction and arranged along the side of the track in the ordinary manner, and is oper ated in the usual way. The cable or connecting rod 59 is operatively connected to the danger or stop signal, so that when the same is thrown into a position of danger or stop, the arm 55 will be automatically operated therewith and thrown in the path of the roller 26 of the operating lever 24.

In operation of the improved device, it

can be seen that when the semaphore is moved to a danger signalling position, the stop trip arm 55'will be raised to a vertical position at right angles to the railroad bed, and in the path of the lever 24. When the locomotive passes the trip, the roller 26 will be struck by the trip arm 55 and the lever 24 swung in a rearward direction. The swinging of the lever 24 will of course actuate and slide rearwardly the operating rod 31, which, being disposed in the path of the handle 14 of the valve 13 will open the valve 13 and permit the air to escape from the train pipe line and set the brakes and sound the whistle 1.6. The engineers attention will be called to the fact that the brakes have been automatically set by the whistle 16 and that he has passed a danger or stop signal. He then can, if so desired, actuate the lever 40 in order to return the handle 14 of the valve to its normal position. It can be seen that when the lever 24 has passed the track obstruction D, the same will be swung back to its normal position by its own weight, which will be supplemented by the spring 34 carried by the actuating rod 81.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that an exceptionally simple and durable means has been provided, for automatically setting the brake of a train, when the same through any cause, passes a danger or stop signal. Thus numerous wrecks, caused by engineers running pastdanger or stop signals will be obviated.

Changes in details may bemade without departing from the spirit or scope of this ofair through the branch pipe and whistle,

invention; but, i I claim:

1. In a safety appliance for railroad trains, the combination with a locomotive including a cab and an air'brake train line pipe, a release valve disposed in said pipe, a branch pipe, means for bringing the branch pipe into communication with the air train pipe upon operation of said valve, a signal whistle carried by the branch pipe and disposed in said cab, a pendant lever pivotally carried by the locomotive adapted to be operated by a track trip, a sliding operating rod carried by the locomotive and disposed in the path of said lever, a handle for said valve disposed in the path of said rod, and a second sliding rod arrangedto engage the handle and to operate the same when moved in one directiomand a-manually operated lever disposed in the cab for operating said second mentioned rod as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a safety appliance for railroads the combination with a locomotive including an air brake train pipe, a valve interposed in said train pipe, a handle for said valve, of an attachment for locomotives including a pendant lever pivotally secured at its upper end to the locomotive, a guide plate arranged to receive the lever intermediate its ends to guide the same in its swinging -movement, a sliding operating rod carried by the guide plate'and disposed between the pendant lever and the valve handle, and in the path of said leverand the valve handle, whereby upon actuation of the lever the valve will be operated by said rod, and spring means for normally holding the sliding rod in a forward position.

In a safety appliance for railroads, the

combination with a locomotive including an air brake train pipe, a branch pipe connected with the train pipe, a whistle secured to the branch pipe and arranged in the cab of the locomotive, an attachment for the locomotive comprising a pendant lever pivotally secured at its upper end to the'locomotive,

guide member carried by the a stationary a valve locomotive for receiving the lever,

interposed in the train pipe for permitting i the bleeding of the train pipe, and the flow a sliding actuating rod carried by the guide member and arranged to normally engage the valve lever and disposed inthe path of the operating lever spring means normally holding the sliding rod in normal operating position, guide pins carried by the pendant lever, the guidemember having arcuate slots arranged to receive the guide pins.

4. In a safety appliance for railroads, the

combination with a locomotive including a cab, an air brake train pipe, a valve interposed in the train pipe for permitting the means pivotally securing the lever intermedl- 1 ate'its ends to the locomotive, a guide member arranged to slidably support the lever having arcuate guide Ways formedjtherein,

outstanding pins formed on the lever slidactuating rod carried by the guidefmemloer and arranged to normally engage the valve and disposed'in the path of'the lever,.and means for resetting the valve from the cab of the locomotive when the same has been actuated by the lever and rod.

5. In a safety appliance for railroads, the combination with a locomotive including a cab, a train air brake'pipe, a release valve disposed in the pipe, an operating handle formed on the valve, an attachment for the locomotive including a depending lever pivably mounted in the guide ways, a sliding c otally secured at its upper end to the 1000- motive, a guide way for thelever, a slidingoperatingrod carried by the guide member 7 I and arranged to normally engage the valve handle and disposedin the path of the lever,

means normally holding the operating rod in its forward operative position, abracket arranged in the cabof the locomotive, a pivoted hand operated lever secured to the bracket, means normally holding 'thelever in its rear position, and a jsecond sliding rod arranged to engage the opposite face ofthe a handle of the valve from the first mentioned rod and disposed .inthe path of the manually operated'lever. y

c GEORGE RIDLEY, a 

